Welcome to 2026, Reds and Blues! The new year has decided to bring surprises early, as both clubs are in management turmoil despite reasonably decent spots in the table. And we have the World Cup draw to discuss as well. Let’s get caught up!

It is hard to discuss one club without discussing the other, as there seem to be so many parallels. Knee-jerk management decisions, unclear transfer policies, managers not being given time and control, as well as managers perhaps not being suited for the role in the first place. Without knowing all the details behind the scenes, as fans we are left to wonder exactly what is going on and why 2 storied clubs cannot manage to find stability and further success. That Maresca and Amorim are both gone is not the surprise. And there is no reason to think another untested manager will right things for either club.

This week Chelsea will travel a short distance for their London derby with Fulham, while Manchester United go away to Burnley. Both have winnable FA Cup matches at the weekend. What either team will look like in setup and performance is anyone’s guess. Liam Rosenior has been appointed new Chelsea boss, and he is expected to be in charge on gameday. Darren Fletcher has caretaker duties for United.

There is a World Cup coming to North America this summer. The draw took place in early December and was unfortunately exactly the gaudy, bloated, and disjointed spectacle one would expect at the moment. But the groups and fixtures are now set. The US got a seemingly favorable draw with Paraguay, Australia, and a playoff winner (likely Turkey?).

We’ll be taking odds on manager comings and goings, so join us at 7pm live at Chatham Tap or online through Facebook Live and hopefully YouTube Live. You can also catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS!

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Happy Holidays, Reds and Blues! We hope you were able to enjoy spending time with friends and family last week. Silly Season is now upon us, with games every few days to entertain us throughout the holidays. But how did our clubs do prior to all the upcoming chaos? Let’s get into it!

Chelsea’s onslaught to remain title contenders saw them return from the international break with a firm victory over lowly Burnley before putting on a masterclass against Barcelona at the Bridge. While Barca still has an impressive attacking force, their defense has been less impressive. And Chelsea took full advantage, with Barca going down to 10 men for the 2nd half. But an even bigger test came this past weekend when they hosted Arsenal. Despite themselves going down to 10 late in the first half, Chelsea managed to get on the board first. They managed the game with great aplomb, but Arsenal did manage to get a goal that could have been a platform to victory. But Chelsea stayed strong and took a valuable point off the hopeful league leaders. A mid-week trip to relegation-sitting Leeds kicks off an 8-game December for the Blues. Can they cure their discipline woes to prevent a holiday slip-up?

As was pointed out in our last chat, United can look toothless without true strikers on the field. And such was the case when they faced Everton. Perhaps it was the chaos and confusion of seeing the Toffees go down to 10 men for a player slapping his own teammate in the first 15 minutes, but United’s defense gave far too much space to Dewsbury-Hall to fire home. From there, their low block became their lifeline, and it paid off. United lack the courage and individual talents required to overcome a stubborn defense that is dug in, and they gave up all 3 points that should have been there for the taking. And it briefly appeared they would repeat that recent history by giving up a first-half PK to Palace. United showed good spirit to get back into the game through a rare Zirkzee goal. And a quickly taken free kick allowed Mount to take the lead. United looked shaky but resolved to secure the points. A struggling West Ham side comes to Old Trafford this week as United begin their own run of 6 games in December. Trust the process?

The USMNT was largely considered a B squad during the break, but they managed 2 solid victories against Paraguay and Uruguay. As both have qualified for next summer’s Cup, they present what is hopefully the path forward for our Eagles.

The USWNT took care of Italy twice in the span of a couple days to end 2025 on a high. Cat Macario had 3 goals across the 2 games. They will hope to follow in the USMNT’s footsteps when they host Paraguay in January.

We’ll be making our lists and checking them twice, so join us at 7pm live at Chatham Tap or online through Facebook Live and hopefully YouTube Live. You can also catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS!

⚽🍺⚽🍺⚽🍺⚽🍺

#TheRedandBlueSoccerChat

#ChathamTapFishers

#ChelseaFC

#manchesterunited

#USMNT

#USWNT

https://linktr.ee/theredandbluesoccerchat

https://feeds.captivate.fm/the-red-and-blue-soccer/

https://www.youtube.com/@theredandbluesoccerchat

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Greetings, Reds and Blues! The north wind has blown in, and winter is coming. But has it reached across the pond? Let’s see how our clubs have fared as we race toward the final international break of the year.

Chelsea eked out a win in an unnecessarily thrilling Carabao Cup match with Wolves, where they yet again failed to finish with 11 players on the field. This time it was the youngster Delap with a rash challenge late on. Despite their good form, indiscipline may come back to haunt them at some point this season. But at the moment they will be happy with their league form. A 1-0 win over London rivals Spurs and a comfortable 3-0 win over Wolves (twice in the span of a week) sandwiched a long-distance draw with plucky Qarabag in the CL. That sees them head into the break in 2nd place in the Prem. They will return in a fortnight to face Burnley before 2 big tests against Barcelona and then Arsenal see out November.

United’s unbeaten run has extended to 5 games since the ugly loss to Brentford. Bryan Mbeumo has been the highlight, but Cunha, De Ligt, and Amad have been big contributors as well. However, Ruben may have some concerns with some others’ focus drifting. Despite taking the lead against Forest and Spurs, United had to work hard to salvage late draws from both. With Sesko set to be out for an extended period with a knee injury, the abundance of number 10s will have to take up the slack. And they may need to utilize the January window to supplement the attack. United will return from the break to face a somewhat disjointed Everton at Old Trafford before ending November with a trip south to Palace. 2 wins would go a long way to putting them within touching distance of the top 4 as Christmas approaches, which seemed a far way off not long ago.

The USMNT will definitely be without Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Chris Richards, and Christian Pulisic for their upcoming friendlies with Paraguay and Uruguay. Injuries and a not-quite-complete squad are beginning to be legit worries for Poch with just 7 months to go and few further opportunities to evaluate players. It’s time for those on the fringe to stake their claim or risk driving themselves to next summer’s games. Gio Reyna, we’re looking squarely at you.

The USWNT thrashed New Zealand 6-0 through an Emma Sears hat trick. They will face Italy twice – in Orlando then Ft. Lauderdale – to end 2025.

We’ll be trying to make Whitefish Bay before the gales of November arrive, so join us at 7pm live at Chatham Tap or online through Facebook Live and hopefully YouTube Live. You can also catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS!

⚽🍺⚽🍺⚽🍺⚽🍺

#TheRedandBlueSoccerChat

#ChathamTapFishers

#ChelseaFC

#manchesterunited

#USMNT

#USWNT

https://linktr.ee/theredandbluesoccerchat

https://feeds.captivate.fm/the-red-and-blue-soccer/

https://www.youtube.com/@theredandbluesoccerchat

instagram.com/theredandbluesoccerchat

https://open.spotify.com/show/7gC93OQZpUrk1ZKkHG7bya

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-red-and-blue-soccer-chat/id1720060776

https://www.facebook.com/TheEvanAndAaronShow